Bookies called it right - PaddyPower paid out last Sunday/Betfair had it 1/4 on on Monday, which backs the view that Betfair is as valid source of likely election results as opinion polls. wisdom of crowds etc. I am glad Obama won as I was last time but I'd hoped we'd all got over the starry eyed, almost evangelical slightly disturbing worship thing, looking at the twiiteratti/facebook I see 'we' haven't. He's just a politician, the fact that he's black was immensley important for all sorts of reasons back in 2008 but can we just get on with it now...he's not the messiah, and, for various reasons, hasn't been that great as a president. I work with a fair few americans (mainly openly democrat) and even they are slightly bemused by western europe's hero worship.